This invention relates to new and useful improvements in oil skimming apparatuses.
Waste oil and other spillages on the surface of water are difficult to remove. Oil is especially difficult to remove because it spreads rapidly in a thin film or layer. Such spillages may occur on the open sea or in harbors, and in view of the dangerous aspect of such spillages due to the pollution caused as well as the fire hazard, it is desirable that they be picked up as soon as possible. Previous attempts have been made to handle this problem, one of which comprises treating the oil slick with material to cause it to sink, another of which comprises the use of a barrier or fence to confine the slick, with the oil later being picked up by suitable apparatus, and still another of which utilizes apparatus movable directly into the slick area to pick up the oil. Other variations of oil pick-up apparatus have also been proposed.
The present invention is concerned with apparatus as in the third example above wherein apparatus is movable directly into the slick area to provide a direct pickup of the oil. Devices of this type heretofore used have not been entirely adequate. One fault of such apparatuses is that they are complex in construction and expensive to manufacture. Another fault is that they do not provide means, at least in a simplified manner, to maintain a uniform infeed at least in rough water, and thus they are not sufficiently versatile to be usable on the open sea, rivers, or confined areas such as harbors. These prior apparatuses also plug easily if there is any debris in the water and thus they are not practical in an actual oil spill where much debris collects.